08 Dec VAK Predicates

We know that the ability to build rapport or ‘get along’ with people is very important in both business and personal relationships. We also know that it is easier to build rapport with people who demonstrate the same or similar characteristics to us – people who are like ourselves. And it is difficult to build rapport with those people who are not like us.

When we don’t understand others, we often find it difficult to relate effectively to them, and even harder to influence these people in a workplace presentation setting.

According to personality experts, we each have over 50 different personality filters that make up who we are. Every situation, conversation and experience is taken through these filters. They explain why we choose to act, decide, respond the way we do, with the people and situations around us.

When it comes to presenting, we know that audiences are made up of people with a variety of different personality filters. One of the more relevant filters to apply when you are a presenter running meetings, influencing people or facilitating groups relates to the way people process and sort information. It’s called the VAKOGAd sort – good name hey?! It stands for: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Olfactory (smell), Gustatory (taste), Auditory Digital.

If you have ever wished you could be more engaging and stimulate your audience more effectively throughout your presentations then it is essential that you use language that stimulates all types of preferences in people. Here’s my favourite list of VAKAd words for you.

See what you can do to flex out of your ‘normal’ list of words and into the other list. Happy presenting!